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WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney’s caught-on-camera assessment that 47 percent of people who don’t pay federal income tax are government moochers with no interest in his campaign has left a split within the Republican Party.

In one camp stand the governor’s political defenders, including former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu, who argue that he was playing the role of political pundit when he offered his take on the state of the presidential race last May. In another camp stand a group of conservatives who have argued, despite evidence to the contrary, that there is a freeloader problem in the country and that Romney was preaching the truth in his big-donor meeting. And in the minority are those Republicans — led by The New York Times‘ David Brooks — who argue that Romney got it wrong on both the policy and the politics.

Somewhere in between those three stands Grover Norquist. The longtime anti-tax crusader told The Huffington Post that he believed Romney “mixed up” his numbers and fumbled an otherwise opportune moment. He wishes that the Republican nominee “had sort of the Jack Kemp/Arthur Brooks immediate response” to the question — meaning he wishes that Romney had hammered away at the dangers of government dependency — instead of getting bogged down in a tax fairness debate.

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Those excited about what handsets RIM will belatedly produce at the start of next year should check out these two pictures of an L-Series handset taking it easy on someone’s desk. There isn’t much to glean from the pair, aside from confirmation that the battery door is the entire backside of the device in the image that you’ll find after the break. Oh, and don’t try searching those handwritten sheets for exciting clues — we’ve tried, unsuccessfully.

Continue reading RIM’s L-Series BlackBerry 10 handset gets another chance to pout for the cameras

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

RIM’s L-Series BlackBerry 10 handset gets another chance to pout for the cameras originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Sep 2012 17:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earlier today, rumors started circulating around the web about Microsoft having hired a former CBS executive to oversee the creation of original video content for the company’s famed console. It didn’t take long for the whispers to turn into something more concrete, however, as Redmond has now made it official, announcing that Nancy Tellem will be the outfit’s Entertainment and Digital Media president. According to Microsoft, Tellem’s set to take over a new production studio in Los Angeles, California — one that’s going to be in charge of developing “interactive and linear content for Xbox and other devices.” Certainly this could be seen as a smart move from Microsoft in its quest to take over the living room reigns, which would make perfect sense given the Xbox’s obvious transition from a simple gaming console to an all-around media hub. You’ll find all the official details inside the presser below.

[Image Credit: Getty Images / Peter Kramer]

Continue reading Microsoft hires former CBS executive to produce original video content for Xbox

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD

Microsoft hires former CBS executive to produce original video content for Xbox originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Sep 2012 16:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Struggling BlackBerry platform holder RIM announced today that it has reached a licensing deal with Microsoft, but instead of RIM licensing out its tech like CEO Thorsten Heins has suggested many times in the past, RIM is the one paying out the licensing fee this time around. The deal gives RIM access to Microsoft’s Extended File Allocation Table (exFAT) technology, a system that allows for the easy transfer of large files between PCs and other devices like smartphones.

Microsoft said in a statement today that exFAT allows flash memory-based devices to handle files that are five times larger than the older FAT system could facilitate, and that RIM has licensed the system “for certain BlackBerry devices.” Neither company clarified which devices those are, but it seems safe to assume that the exFAT system will be present in the first BlackBerry 10 devices when they eventually arrive. Beyond that, we’ll have to wait for more details.

RIM actually enjoyed a rise in stock price after the announcement hit, but the company’s stock price continued fluctuating throughout the day, losing here and gaining there. Still, RIM finished the regular trading day up 2.28%, posting a $7.41 stock price at the closing bell. After hours trading see a bit of an increase over that closing amount as well, with RIM’s stock currently sitting at $7.45. It seems that shareholders view this as a step in the right direction for RIM, but will it be enough?

RIM will definitely need more than Microsoft’s exFAT system to get users excited about BlackBerry 10, but this is a good addition. Speaking of the beleaguered operating system, it’s still scheduled to launch early next year, after a number of delays that pushed it back from previous release dates. RIM has a lot riding on the hope that the launch of BlackBerry 10 will pull the company out of this rut, so here’s hoping that the OS is a beast when it finally arrives.

RIM and Microsoft strike up a licensing deal for exFAT is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
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iRobot celebrated Roomba’s 10th birthday quietly teeing up a $74 million acquisition of rival Evolution Robotics Inc. The Pasadena-based company produces the Mint, a hard-floor ‘bot that uses ordinary Swiffer pads to wet-wipe your wooden decks clean — and comes with the more sophisticated “Northstar” GPS-style positioning tech. As part of the deal, Evolution CEO Paolo Pirjanian will become iRobot’s new CTO and the Mint and Mint Plus will be folded into the company’s stable of Roomba cleaners — with the deal expected to be fully approved by the fourth quarter of the year.

Continue reading iRobot buys rival Evolution Robotics for $74 million to expand hard-floor cleaning tech

Filed under: Robots

iRobot buys rival Evolution Robotics for $74 million to expand hard-floor cleaning tech originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Sep 2012 16:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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